Tag Archives: beach

Exploring Hope Cove: A Winter Adventure

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I was delighted to be brought to this beautiful part of Devon by my humans.

Hope Cove was once a fishing and smuggling village.  During the 18th and 19th centuries the sheltered harbour provided refuge for boats from storms but they had to be very careful due to the rocky coastline. 

The sun was shining when we arrived so immediately I set off to explore.   A group of humans walking by stopped and took photos of me in the boat!

I set off across the Harbour Beach to walk across the breakwater (sometimes called a mole).  Fortunately there weren’t too many steps up!

After walking along I stopped to look at the view.  The large building is the Cottage Hotel which is quite big to be called a Cottage!

I carefully walked back as falling into water is something to be avoided. I was careful not to get distracted watching the yellow labrador dog in the water.

Back on the beach with the sun making the sea sparkle behind me.

Hope Cove consists of Outer Hope and Inner Hope. It was a short walk along to Inner Hope, and on the way we passed this lovely thatched cottage so I stopped for a quick rest and a photo.

Most of the thatched cottages were in Inner Hope….

I had a good wander around…

Then stopped for a sit down, but the bench wasn’t being warmed by the gentle winter sun so I didn’t stay there for long.

Lots of water from a nearby stream was gushing down next to the lifeboat slipway

There were beautiful calming views of the Harbour Beach to look at on the way back, but I also had to keep an eye on the steps!

A wonderful thing about winter adventures is the lack of humans everywhere. There were a few about as it was a Sunday, but not as many as there would be in summer.

This splendid cottage is in Outer Hope.

We followed the coastal path south, and once up high paused for a while to look at the wonderful view.

South Milton Sands is just over a mile away from Hope Cove and has a long sandy beach.

Even in winter it was relaxing to sit on the sand and look out to sea. The rock in the distance is the Thurle Stone, it has a hole in the middle so looks like an arch when viewed from another direction.

Right next to the beach we found the aptly named Beach House! I had a very yummy slice of carrot cake there…

After walking back to Outer Hope my human suggested a photo, I was a tad tired and kept getting blown over by the wind so I sat down.

Our accomodation was in the Hope & Anchor Inn which overlooks Mouthwell Beach.

The room was very cosy with a large comfortable bed for me to rest my paws on before supper.

My nut roast supper was delicious, but I assure you readers that the Yorkshire pudding really wasn’t as big as my head. The camera did weird things and focused on the things in front of me and made them look bigger.

Going to sleep after such a busy day was no problem at all…

The next day healthy breakfast! Avocado on toast with sundried tomatoes, something I haven’t had before but very tasty.

Before going home I explored Mouthwell Beach which is next to the Hope & Anchor Inn. It was low tide so all the rockpools were exposed.

My human nearly got wet feet while taking this photo, the tide came in over her toes, so we moved back a bit. My wellington boots float when in water as I am not heavy enough to keep them on the ground.

I was able to stand here for a few minutes as the log stopped the water from pushing me over, and I was stood on a sand ridge.

Clambering about over the rocks was fun, though done cautiously just in case as seaweed and algae can be very slippery.

The low tide had exposed lot of creatures that live on the shoreline, including Oarweed (Laminaria digitata), Limpets (Patella vulgata) and periwinkles (Littorina littorea)

I was exploring the little cave when my human called me to take this photo!

Winter is a wonderful time to go to the seaside, it isn’t warm but if you dress appropriately for the weather you can keep warm and have a lovely time and have plenty of room to explore!

I stayed at The Hope & Anchor Inn https://hopeandanchor.co.uk/

Horace the Alresford Bear 12/2/2025

A Winter Escape to Fistral Beach, Newquay

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We arrived at The Fistral Beach Hotel just as the daylight was starting to fade.

It is always rather exciting opening a hotel room and finding what is inside! It turned out to be rather luxurious…

The balcony overlooked Fistral Beach, which is very famous for surfing competitions. The geography of the bay creates ideal conditions for waves suitable to surf on.

I had a quick rest on the very comfy bed before giving my fur a brush and getting ready for dinner.

We ate in the Bay Bar, and I found the butternut squash parpadelle to be delicious.

The following day was a bit damp so I put on my yellow coat and set off to explore. On the way to the beach we saw a school of dolphins in the bay. Unfortunately my humans don’t have cameras that could capture the sight, but it was wonderful to see.

Once on the beach I had a walk about, but quickly found my wellingtons are not ideal in pools of water. The problem is that they float because I am not heavy enough to weight them down as a small human would. This made it likely that I would lift up and fall over so I had to tread very carefully.

It wasn’t long before I came across a group of cool dudes off to the sea with their surf boards. They were very happy to be photographed with me, though I did fall on my face prior to this photo being taken, so on close examination you may see sand on my snout!

I climbed up onto some rocks to sit and watch the waves and the birds.

We decided to walk up to Pentire Head to see if any more dolphins could be seen, but they had gone somewhere else.

The Gannel Estuary is on the southern side of Pentire Head, and as the tide was out it was possible to walk along it.

We went right across to the other side on this boardwalk before returning again.

Once back at the hotel after a little nap and brush up of the fur it was pizza time! I will confess I didn’t eat it all but shared it with my humans.

After a good night’s sleep it was time for more food.  I had avocado on toast with an egg for starters, followed by chocolate croissant and fruit.

After making a picnic we set off to Watergate Bay on the bus.   Here I am looking like a cool dude on the beach at the start of a walk along the coast back to Fistral Bay.

On the cliff above Watergate Bay, I had to remove my cap to prevent it being blown away.

We eventually reached Porth where an island is accessed by a little bridge.

There are great views of Newquay from Porth Island.

After leaving the island we crossed the sandy beach.

I stopped for a while to read about Porth’s history. In the past lots of industry happened around the beach; if you zoom in you might be able to read the sign.

After walking past houses and other humans development we arrived at steps leading to Lusty Glaze Beach.  There are many many steps going down to the beach.

The sun was low in the sky (as this was January) and nearly gone from the beach. The beach was very quiet, which is an advantage of visiting in winter.

I had a stroll about…

….and found lots of mussels in the rocks.

I put my special mat onto some rocks and settled down to eat lunch.

I moved my special mat onto the sand for a very quick nap. It’s not usually good to lie in the sun, but on a cold January day the rays are not strong, and the gentle warmth feels lovely on the fur.

There wasn’t time to stop for long as the tide was about to come in, and to avoid going up those steps, we walked along the shore back to Newquay Towan Beach.

There is an interesting house built on top of a very small island with a bridge leading to it on Towan Beach; my human can remember it being there when she was a little girl holidaying in Newquay.

We left the beach then walked on through the harbour, only possible due to the low tide.

There are surfers everywhere around Newquay; behind me, through the gap in the harbour wall, you might be able to spot some!

After a bit more walking on footpaths, then across a golf course, we were finally back at Fistral Beach.

At this point, my little legs were very tired indeed, so I climbed back into the bear carrier (I had been in and out of it for the whole journey!).

After a rest and tidy up, it was dinner time, and I opted for fish and chips, but I didn’t expect such a huge piece of fish! I ate over half of it, then was helped out by a human. Humans do seem to have a large capacity for food.

An early night was required after such a busy two days…

Before checking out of the hotel I had a full English Breakfast, which was very yummy indeed.

I think the seaside is wonderful in January; the beaches are quiet, and there is a peaceful atmosphere, but it is full of anticipation for the coming spring. The only downside is that it does get dark rather early.

I am very happy that I was able to go to Newquay.

Horace the Alresford Bear 20/1/2025